News

The Andrew Goodman Foundation Participates in the 11th Annual Moral March on Raleigh, NC

February 15, 2017

February 11, 2017 (Raleigh, NC)—This Saturday at 8:30 a.m., over 80,000 people gathered in front of the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium to march for social justice in the 11th Annual Moral March on Raleigh & the Historic Thousands on Jones St. (HKonJ) People’s Assembly. Among the crowd were the Andrew Goodman Foundation’s (AGF) Program Manager, Kevon Haughton, three of the AGF’s Vote Everywhere (VE) Ambassadors: Erick Jenkins from East Carolina University, Joanna Woodson from Western Carolina University, and June Shuler from Elon University, and their classmates.

Also in attendance were HKonJ leaders Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II—protestant minister, political leader and civil rights advocate—the North Carolina NAACP, and 200 coalition partners.

Deemed the largest Moral March to date, the 2017 assembly brought attention to recent actions by the U.S. government such as the impending Affordable Care Act repeal, dismantling civil rights protection policies and voting rights, and gerrymandering in North Carolina.

Rev. Barber, along with an assortment of political leaders and social justice activists, addressed the crowd before the march. Speaking about equality and democracy, they delivered a powerful message about the importance of civic engagement.

VE Ambassador Erick Jenkins discussed why his team travelled to Raleigh on Saturday, saying, “I go to this march every year. Since 2013, the biggest fight has been voting rights. As we stood in front of the governor’s office with nearly 100,000 others, we were heard across the country as a moral resistance.”

The protesters began marching at 10 a.m. toward the front steps of the State Capitol where the crowd gathered for the People’s Assembly, chanting “Forward Together, Not One Step Back!” The streets of Raleigh were filled with people from various backgrounds who marched for the common goal of a fair democracy.

“The dissonance in this country on who should vote and who shouldn’t is absurd. It is a right for all Americans, end of story,” added Jenkins.

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About The Andrew Goodman Foundation

Established to continue the legacy of Andrew Goodman, a civil rights worker murdered during Freedom Summer 1964, The Andrew Goodman Foundation partners with America’s colleges and universities through its Vote Everywhere program which provides student leaders with a platform to register and mobilize voters, organize campuses, and collaborate with their peers. Launched as a pilot program in 2012, Vote Everywhere now operates in 20 states and is directed by over 100 student Ambassadors. Its current network of 43 campuses is home to a student population of nearly a million. To learn more, visit www.andrewgoodman.org.